Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

Easter Chick on a Hinge

Last year, Taylored Expressions put out a call for fans that would like to connect with other TE fans that are local to their location.  I signed up and was connected with 3 ladies near-ish to me.  We exchanged monthly cards through the second half of 2023 and decided to meet in person in late February to make cards together.  We each made a card and brought the pieces for the other 3 ladies to make the same card. I had plans to bring a couple of different cards, but the day before our meet up, I made this super cute Easter card and decided it would be perfect to share.

I started by coloring the chick and the the legs from the TE On a Hinge - Chick stamp set (retired) with Copic markers.  I misplaced my 'On a Hinge' die (retired), so had to assemble the hinge for the legs with a similar shape that I made.  This set is so fun because the legs of the chick aren't glued down and dangle back and forth.

For the background, I stamped the TE Gingham Check Background stamp with TE Peapod ink on TE Peapod cardstock.  For the clouds, I used the TE Cloud Nine Background stamp (retired) with white TE Fine Details Embossing Powder on TE Salt Water Taffy cardstock.  To finish off the background I used the TE Easy Edgers die set (Free Gift with Purchase of $100 in January that is not released for purchase yet, but will be later this year).

We had such a fun time together making cards, and I look forward to meeting up with them again!

Have a good day.
Kayla

Design Team - 613 Avenue Create March 2024

I am so excited to announce that I have been selected to be on the 613 Avenue Create Design Team.  613 Avenue Create is a fun monthly challenge blog that is always 'Anything Goes,' but has an optional twist.  For March, the twist is Diamonds or Pearls (add gems or bling to your project).

With the twist of Diamonds or Pearls, my mind immediately went to the TE Happily Ever After Dies.  Pearls and wedding dresses are a perfect match!  I started by cutting the outline die and detail insert from TE Sugar Cube card stock.  I then cut 2 layers of just the outline from TE Vellum and one more from Sugar Cube card stock.  I stacked and glued those together with the vellum pieces in the middle.  I glued a gradient of TE Pearl Drip Drops to the dress, starting with small pearls at the top and larger pearls on the bottom of the dress.  This was such a stunning focal point that I didn't want to distract from it very much.  I added a pop of green directly behind the dress with cuts from the TE Leafy Frond (retired), Subtle Sprigs, and Garden Variety die sets. I used TE Peapod cardstock and lightly inked Sweet Basil around the outside of the die cuts to give a little dimension.

I glued all of those pieces down to a background of the TE Woodgrain Cardstock - Kraft.  A simple black strip for the sentiment from the TE Mini Strips Wedding stamp set added just enough contrast.  To finish the card, I added groupings of black enamel dots from my stash.

I hope you come play along with us this month at the 613 Avenue Create March challenge!

Have a good day.
Kayla

An Udder Birthday

How did I get old enough to have a great niece?  It's a mystery, but I do, and she is the cutest!  We celebrated her 2nd birthday earlier this month, and the birthday party was cow themed.  I found a cow bouncy toy and cow print wrapping paper, so I just had to make a coordinating birthday card.

I used Doodlebug Down on the Farm paper and a TE paper pack (retired) to create an outdoor scene for the cow from the TE If Cows Could Talk Stamp and Die Combo.  The cute little cow was colored with Copic markers, and I used a punny sentiment from the stamp set to finish off the card.

Have a(n udderly) good day.
Kayla

Life of the Party

Oh hi there!  I am a fan of Taylored Expressions (TE) products, so I logically, joined the Fans of Taylored Expressions Facebook group.  TE is active in the group and has a monthly challenge called the TE Maker Challenge.  One of my goals this year is to participate in this challenge each month of 2024.  I barely made it for the January TE Maker Challenge, which was to create a shaped card.

As I was thinking of a shape to use as the card base, I landed on using a large balloon die.  I make cards for my coworkers, so I always need birthday cards, and can you think of a better birthday card than a giant balloon shaped one?  I sure can't!

For the balloon shape, I used the largest die from the Simon Says Stamp Balloons die set. I found some happy birthday themed paper from my stash, and decided to use the TE Life of the Party stamp set (retired) as the image.  Since I was coloring one image, I decided to color several of the the animals with Copic markers. 

To add a focal point, I added a pop of red with the TE Focal Frame die (retired).  The sentiment is a combination of the 'Happy' die from the Happy Summer Banner die set (retired) and a birthday from the On Repeat Birthday stamp (retired) and On Repeat dies (retired). To balance the card, I added some enamel dots from my stash.

Since I had extra colored animals and need many birthday cards this year, I made a second card with the 2 other animals that I stamped and colored.  I used the TE Starry Night Cutting Plate (retired) as a background, and finished off the card with a simple sentiment from the TE Simple Strips Birthday stamp and Simple Strips die.

I still had 3 stamped and colored animals on my desk and found that they fit perfectly in the larger openings of the TE Fun Frames Cutting Plate.  I used some coordinating paper and another sentiment from the Simple Strips Birthday stamp.

I added googly eyes to the elephants and monkeys on all 3 cards and it was the perfect way to finish off these fun birthday cards! 

Have a good day.
Kayla