Life is a Circus

My card today exemplifies how I've felt lately...juggling all the jobs and tasks that come with relocating. I can not wait til we're settled in the new place!!!  :-)

I used the new Life is a Circus set from Taylored Expressions and lots of dies. The clown is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics and I dug into my button stash for some fun balls (ooh, that sounds so wrong!).

The patterned paper is from the Bo Bunny Blast Off pack. The new star border die was perfect along the bottom and the seeing stars dies were another fabulous addition! I used the take note 3 die behind the image...it has such a wonderful shape and size! The layout is SC342.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Walk It Off {MFTWSC30}

It's time to get sketchy with the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club and sketch #30.

I'm a total sucker for all circle elements when making a card so I knew I'd love love LOVE this sketch, and I did! This is going to be another go-to sketch for me in the future.

I decided to ink up Fred Bear Takes a Hike and paired him with papers from October Afternoon's Campfire collection.

I stamped Fred with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured him with copics. I wanted him to have a furry look so once he was all coloured and shaded, I went back over him with all the same shades of brown but adding little dots everywhere instead of solid brush strokes. I'm really happy with the result. And that snail...does he not just call out for googlie eyes?!? I couldn't resist and they make me smile!!! I used my simply scallops medium die-namic to create the red polka dot layers and curled up the scallops for a little texture. I used four shades of MFT cardstock (which is fabulously thick and sturdy!), Hot Fudge, Berrylicious, Orange Fizz, and Gumdrop Green. To finish it off I wrapped some Cappuccino Twine and tied on a red button.

Here are all the sketchy details:

There's a prize each week for one participant, chosen at random. You may use any stamps and supplies that you wish. Each week a keyword is assigned to the sketch, and this week's keyword is MFTWSC30. All you need to do to enter is upload your card to the gallery at Splitcoast and enter the given keyword in the keyword box during the upload process. After the deadline (noon Eastern on Tuesday) we randomly choose a winner from that week's entries and the winner will receive a $15 gift voucher. If the winning card uses MFT stamps, the participant will earn a $5 bonus, for a total of a $20 gift voucher!

Be sure to head over to Kim's Blog to view the entire list of design team participants...there's plenty of inspiration for you with today’s sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

A little scattered...

You may have noticed that I missed today's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, SSSC127.

Sorry about that, but I did actually make a card using the sketch...I just posted it on my blog this past Thursday (check it out here) and I never got a new sample made up for today. We're in the final stages of our big move to Ohio so I've had to put stamping on the back burner for a little while (insert sad pouty face here). I have a couple of sporadic posts scheduled but my blog will be really, really quiet until we're settled in the new place and all unpacked. I'll be back to my regular routine come September.  :-)

Thanks for your patience and thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions at CHA - The cat's away so the mice will play!

Are you one of the lucky ones attending CHA in Chicago this week? Well if not, Taylored Expressions doesn't want you to feel left out so some of the Baker's Dozen gals got together to create super fun shopping specials of our own. Because you know...

We're throwing our own little party and you're invited! Each of us who aren't attending CHA perused the TE Store and chose a favourite product to bring to you at 20% off! Hurry before we get caught - these specials are only good through Sunday, July 24th!

Wanda's pick: Crafty Cuppie

Jodi's pick: Sweet Celebration

my pick: Wings of Joy

Tori's pick: Sprinkled with Love

Jami's pick: Picket Fence Border die

Regina's pick: 1/16" foam tape and 1/8" foam tape

Charmaine's pick: Take Note 3 die

Melissa's pick: Kitschy Kitchen Cardstock Stickers Homemade, Retro and Tag Collection

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you know that I try my best to create Christmas cards all year long and avoid the dreaded rush in December. This card happens to be card #16 of my Project Christmas 2011, and my last Christmas card was also made using the Wings of Joy set. So this is why I chose a Christmas set as my favourite product. Not only is Wings of Joy a fabulous stamp set, it's also a holiday stress reliever when used all year long! LOL!!! In addition to my favourite product, I also so used Charmaine's fave, Take Note 3 die and Regina's fave, 1/16" foam tape on my card. And look at those little birds...I cut them out using the birds and branch dies and they line up just about perfectly!

And I thought I'd show you a card I made back in June, because it shows the Picket Fence Border die so well. There's a little tutorial on this post about how to make the picket fence taller.

PLUS we're bringing you the actual Show Specials so you can feel like you were there!!

• Purchase any 4 full-size stamp sets (including those on the sale list above) and receive a FREE Mini Binder Box! (Do not add the Binder Box to your cart. It will automatically be included in your package upon shipment.)
• The first 10 orders each day beginning at 8am PST will receive a free à la carte stamp of our choice.
• All orders placed Thursday, July 21st through Sunday, July 24th will be entered into a random drawing to win a CHA Prize Package which includes two exclusive stamp sets never available for sale! This prize package is valued at over $100! The winner will be announced on Taylor's Blog on Tuesday, July 26th. 

All of the above offers are valid Thursday, July 21st at 8am PST through Sunday, July 24th at 10pm PST.

Important Shipping Notes:

• Shipping at Taylored Expressions is suspended from Monday, July 18th through Monday, July 25th, while the TE Crew is away at CHA. Shipping will resume on Tuesday, July 26th. 
• Remember that shipping is FREE on all orders over $75 within the United States every day!

Here's a list of the Baker's Dozen gals showcasing sale products today:

• Charmaine Ikach
• Jodi Collins
• Melissa Sauls
• Regina Mangum
• Tori Wild
• Wanda Guess
• Jami Sibley

Happy shopping and thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Show Your MFT Spirit!!!

If you're one of the lucky ones attending CHA in Chicago, then you'll want to be sure to RUN to the MFT booth as soon as you get there!!! MFT has a fabulous make and take, and not only do you take away the project you made, you take away the stamp set too!!!!

Today the MFT Designers are showing their team spirit with an award ribbon made using My Heart Belongs To...

This is an amazing companion set to our First Place Award Ribbon die-namics and stamp set, and it's available exclusively during the CHA Supershow. Since not all of you are attending CHA, we're excited to offer you the opportunity to earn our CHA-exclusive stamp set, My Heart Belongs To... for FREE!!!

Here are the details:

• From July 19th, 10pm EST through July 24th, or as along as supplies last.
• With an order of $50 or greater, we will include the CHA-exclusive stamp set, My Heart Belongs Too..., with your order. 
• My Heart Belongs To... is available to the first 500 orders over $50 during the promotional period.
• Your order must require shipping (digital-only orders will not qualify).

Is this not an amazing promotion!!! I certainly had fun creating my MFT Spirit Ribbon, and there are so many more possibilities for this set either on it's own or paired with other MFT stamps and dies. I used the 3/8" Rosette die-namic as another layer for the black polka dot paper, along with the tiny heart die from the Notched Tag die-namics.

Be sure to hop over to Kim's Blog for a complete list of all the designers showing their MFT spirit!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Enjoy Every Moment {MFTWSC29}

It's time to get sketchy with the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club and sketch #29.

This week's sketch has so many possibilities with that rectangle main panel. Are you as relieved as I am that there aren't any tilted/angled panels this week?!? LOL!!!

I inked up the sweet Claire Keay-Enjoy Every Moment set and dressed her with one of the patterns from My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Happy Go Lucky collection. The rest of her is coloured with copics. I added the sentiment in one of the talk bubble die-namics from Say What?.

Check out the bracket border strip on my card. I layered the open bracket border die-namic with the solid bracket border die-namic, offsetting it towards the top just a little for the perfect bracket reveal at the bottom. And of course, the Pretty Posies die-namic creates the perfect flower accent.

Here are all the sketchy details:

There's a prize each week for one participant, chosen at random. You may use any stamps and supplies that you wish. Each week a keyword is assigned to the sketch, and this week's keyword is MFTWSC29. All you need to do to enter is upload your card to the gallery at Splitcoast and enter the given keyword in the keyword box during the upload process. After the deadline (noon Eastern on Tuesday) we randomly choose a winner from that week's entries and the winner will receive a $15 gift voucher. If the winning card uses MFT stamps, the participant will earn a $5 bonus, for a total of a $20 gift voucher!

Be sure to head over to Kim's Blog to view the entire list of design team participants...there's plenty of inspiration for you with today’s sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

MFT VIP hop and shop

It's time for this month's VIP collection from MFT and the new Sunflower Who's That Girl set. She's in a circle this month instead of the usual square or rectangle and can I just say, I {heart} her in a circle!!! Be sure to start the hop at Kim's blog though so you don't miss a thing.

The VIP collection is available in limited quantity and a full two weeks before the stamps and dies are released! The collection this month includes:
Sunflower Who's That Girl stamp set
Sunflower Sentiments mini set (exclusive to the VIP collection, will never be offered for sale again, a $9 value, free!)
Open Scallop Doily Duo die-namics
All this for just $37.90

And if that's not enough to get you excited, check this out:

We have a special treat for you today! In addition to the release of our newest VIP Collection, we are excited to offer you the opportunity to earn our CHA-exclusive stamp set, My Heart Belongs To, absolutely FREE. It pairs well with the previously released First Place Award Ribbon and will give you many new options in creating gorgeous works of art. When you purchase $50 or more, we'll send you a FREE CHA-exclusive stamp set valued at $9. This special is good through July 24th, or until we run out. Here are the details at a glance:

• Promotion dates: July 19, 10 PM through July 24
• Spend $50, and we'll include the CHA-exclusive stamp set, My Heart Belongs To, in your order (limited supply)
• The free set will be sent to ONLY the first 500 orders over $50 during the promotional period
• Your order must require shipping (digital-only orders will not qualify)

Now on to my card.

I used patterned papers from the My Mind's Eye Stella Rose Gertie collection. The image was cut out with a circle Nestability and layered onto the larger of the Open Scallop Doily Duo die-namics, which I cut from Hot Fudge. The sentiment in the bottom left corner is from the free Sunflower Sentiments mini set.

Now you're off to see what Eva has to share. I'm positive it's going to be gorgeous!!

Happy hopping, and thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Happy Birthday Leslie!!!!!

Today is my sweet friend Leslie's birthday so please help me send her lots of big birthday wishes!!!

She loves the Pure Innocence line from My Favorite Things so I just had to use one for her card. With so many cuties to choose from though, it was a tough decision, but I decided on Lollipop Girl because I really like the "you're too sweet" sentiment. The layout is Jen's July Sketch For You To Try.

She's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics. Of course her dress needed to be paper pieced and I chose papers from the My Mind's Eye Lime Twist Happy Go Lucky collection. I used the perfect petal trio die-namics behind the sentiment for a scalloped circle look and the simply scallops medium die-namic adds the perfect touch on the left side of the card. The base layer of pink cardstock is Cotton Candy.

On the inside I stamped a sentiment from another Pure Innocence set, Something Special Just For You and added another scalloped strip.

Leslie, I hope your day is filled with everything your heart desires and plenty of cake and birthday wishes!!! Enjoy your day!!!  :-)

Happy Birthday my friend!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Paradise

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, SSSC126.

My flight instructor recently moved into a new house, on the water, and I was there this week for a tour, so I figured it was high time to give her a housewarming card. It's a really fabulous place with big deck overlooking the water. We were watching sailboats go by...it really is a little piece of paradise!!!

I used the very appropriate A Day In Paradise set from Taylored Expressions. Although this beach cottage really looks nothing like her house (hers is red brick) it's still an adorable image and the paradise sentiment was too perfect to resist.

The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream and coloured with copics. I added some clear glaze pen to the windows for a glassy look. The picket fence border die was another perfect element for the horizontal strip on this card. And I covered most of it up, but I used the clouds impression plate on the background piece. You can see it best down by the sentiment.

I hope you'll play along this week and link your creation on Karen's blog. Now it's time to hop around and see what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers created.
Dana White
Jen Tapler
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kalé
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

You're a Stitch {MFTWSC28}

It's time to get sketchy with the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club and sketch #28.

I have to admit, I was more than a little afraid of today's sketch, with all those tilted panels, but I took the challenge and I love how my card turned out. If I can do it, so can you!!!

I used the new Sew Nifty stamp and die-namics set and some new patterned papers, MME Lost and Found Union Square. The dress form is paper pieced for a little pop of colour and I matted everything with Black Licorice.

I die-cut the spool of thread before wrapping it with some twine. The new file tab die-namic was perfect for adding the sentiment at the top.

Here are the sketchy details:

There's a prize each week for one participant, chosen at random. You may use any stamps and supplies that you wish. Each week a keyword is assigned to the sketch, and this week's keyword is MFTWSC28. All you need to do to enter is upload your card to the gallery at Splitcoast and enter the given keyword in the keyword box during the upload process. After the deadline (noon Eastern on Tuesday) we randomly choose a winner from that week's entries and the winner will receive a $15 gift voucher. If the winning card uses MFT stamps, the participant will earn a $5 bonus, for a total of a $20 gift voucher!

Be sure to head over to Kim's Blog to view the entire list of design team participants...there's plenty of inspiration for you with today’s sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen