TE Sneak Peeks Day 1: Labels of Love

November Release At a Glance

• We have sneak peeks to share Monday through Wednesday.  All of the new products will be available for purchase on Thursday, November 3rd at 8 am PST. You'll find it all in the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the Taylored Expressions Store.
• Join us as a fan on Facebook for an early peek at the stamp sets, as well as a SPECIAL Facebook GIVEAWAY, on Wednesday night beginning at approximately 6 pm PST.
• Mystery Baker's Dozen Blog Giveaway: Each day, one lucky blog commenter will be chosen by random draw to win a $10 TE Gift Certificate.  Winners will be chosen from a different Baker's Dozen blog each day and will be announced on Taylor's blog on Release Day!  Be sure to hop around to see all the sneak peeks and leave comments on each and every blog for more chances to win. Limit one comment per blog per day, please. Comments close Wednesday 11/2 at 7pm PST for the drawings.

Today we are debuting the new Labels of Love II stamp set and the Mini Leaves Taylored Die!  For my project today I used the new stamp set to decorate some Test Tube Treat Holders.  You can find a handy tutorial for making these fun projects at Splitcoaststampers – HERE and if you are looking for some test tubes Taylored Expressions has them for sale - HERE. 

Labels of Love II is a follow up set to the popular Labels of Love and includes oodles of frames and sentiments that cover almost every holiday throughout the year (I made treat holders for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas using just this one set).  It’s the perfect addition to any stamp collection and would also make a great Christmas gift for your stamping friends!  This set of 27 stamps coordinates with Labels of Love and Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio 3.  Also, this fabulous new set is the latest addition to the TE Giving Tree program.

The TE Giving Tree is a program designed to raise funds for a different charity each quarter. For the months of November, December and January, Taylored Expressions will donate $5 from the sale of each Labels of Love II stamp set to the Union Rescue Mission.

In part the URM's Mission Statement reads:

We embrace people experiencing homelessness with the compassion of Christ – giving hope and healing for a changed life – helping them find their way home.

By Embrace we mean to welcome, to encircle with our arms.
By Compassion we mean to love and touch others, as Christ loved us.
By Hope we mean providing encouragement and resources for a new start.
By Healing we mean being restored in body, mind, and spirit through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
By Changed Life we mean going in a new direction and to realize our God-given purpose.
By Home we mean having the opportunity to earn a living, secure housing, and be a healthy family again.

The Union Rescue Mission (URM) was founded in 1891 and is one of the largest missions of its kind in America--bringing help and hope to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles. Taylor's husband, Jon, served at the Union Rescue Mission when they lived in California and saw first hand the impact it had on the lives of the homeless. Visit the Union Rescue Mission website at http://urm.org/.

Here are a few additional photos of the treat holders I made. I used a 1” circle punch to cut the opening in the top of the treat holder (3/4” is too small for the test tubes – 7/8” would probably be perfect!).  I also added White Opal Liquid Pearls along the edges of the frames and around the opening for the treat holder.  I did use the Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio 3 dies to cut out the labels. However they were a bit too long for my needs so I cut off the ends where the ribbon would be threaded through.

For Halloween I used Doodlebug Monster Mania designer paper and the “happy fright night” sentiment.

I filled the test tubes with Sixlets candy. 

For Thanksgiving I used My Mind’s Eye Lost and Found Breeze designer paper and the “Give Thanks” sentiment.

I filled the test tubes with Peanut Butter M&Ms. 

For Christmas I used Echo Park Season’s Greetings designer paper and the “Season’s Greetings” sentiment.

I filled these ones with plain M&Ms.  By the way – all of these different candies are yummy.  I taste tested them to make sure. ;)

Now that you have checked out my project, take a gander at what the following talented designers are sharing today:

• Charmaine Ikach
• Danielle Lounds
• Jen Shults
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Melody Rupple
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild
• Wanda Guess

Recipe:
Stamps: Labels of Love II (Taylored Expressions).
Paper: Soft Sky, River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Basic Black (SU!), Ripe Avocado (PTI), Choice Snow White (TE), Monster Mania designer (Doodlebug), Lost & Found Breeze (My Mind’s Eye), Season’s Greetings designer (Echo Park).
Ink: Deep Lagoon, Warm Red and Pumpkin Spice Fluid Chalk (ColorBox), Memento Tuxedo Black.
Accessories: various ribbons (TE), adhesive rhinestones (KaiserCraft), test tubes (TE), Ribbon Tags Trio 3 (Spellbinders), 1” circle punch (EK Success), small oval punch (SU!), White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger).

Wings of Joy Christmas Tags

Hey Crafty Friends – I’m checking in today with a set of tags that match the Christmas Planner I posted yesterday.  I had some scraps of Holly Jolly Christmas designer paper left over and thought they would be perfect for some little tags. 

The birdie and sentiment are from the Wings of Joy stamp set and I picked up the die cut tags from the Taylored Expressions online store.

I took pictures of the tags in sets so that you can see the detail of each.  Besides the designer paper and slightly different shades of dark brown cardstock they are the same but a few extra pictures don’t hurt, do they? ;)

The strips of designer paper range from an 1” wide to about 1 1/2”.  I layered the strips on Chocolate Chip or Early Espresso cardstock and rounded the corners before adding Platinum Liquid Pearls.  After 6 tags and 7 labels from yesterday’s project my right hand was a bit sore from dabbing dots everywhere.  But it was worth it.

The birdie was stamped on Choice Snow White cardstock and colored with Copic markers.  A bit of Icicle Stickles was added to the hat.  Once dry the birds were adhered to small circles of green cardstock die cut with a Lacey Circles Nestabilities die.  A sentiment was stamped on Soft Sky cardstock, trimmed to size and then also adhered to the circles using more dimensionals.

To finish a bow was tied using the Bow Easy and attached to the tag front using twine and accented with a button.  I then attached the tag front to the tag base using dimensionals and added an eyelet to the top.

Recipe:
Stamps: Wings of Joy (TE).
Paper: Certainly Celery, Soft Sky, Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Choice Snow White (TE), Holly Jolly Christmas designer (Echo Park).
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Memento Rich Cocoa, Copic markers.
Accessories: Icicle Stickles and Platinum Liquid Pearls (Ranger), twine (May Arts), polka dot ribbon (TE), button, foam dimensional tape, Tag Treat die cuts (TE), Lacey Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders).

Wings of Joy (TE)

Holly Jolly Christmas (Echo Park)

Choice Snow White (TE)

Tag Treats die cuts (TE)

Platinum Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

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TE Holiday Hoopla

Taylored Expressions is hosting a Holiday Hoopla today and I'm excited to be a part of it. You should have arrived here from Beate John's blog. If you didn't (or if you get lost along the way) you can head back to the beginning at Taylor's blog for the full list of participants. There are 22 designers showcasing Christmas/Winter/Holiday stamps sets from TE with samples that include all sorts of projects from cards to gifts and beyond! We want to inspire you to get your holiday crafting and card making into high gear! Be sure to stick with me all the way to the end of the post to get a coupon code for 25% off holiday stamp sets at Taylored Expressions!

The set I'm showcasing is Take Note - Holidays and I just love making cute little planners using this stamp set!  It also includes adorable images, frames, and sentiments that are perfect for making cards and tags too!

I used the stamp set and the coordinating Take Note 3 die to make a 5” x 7” planner to keep me organized this Holiday season.  The book consists of front and back covers with six pocket pages.  I used my Bind-It-All to assemble the book and then finished embellishing the cover and pages (that is important… if you add a bunch of stuff to your cover before assembling it might be too thick to fit in the punching part of the machine).

Bear with me here, I took a ton of pictures of this project.  If you are in a hurry scroll down to the bottom where you can find a link to the next blog hop participant.  ;)

For the front and back covers I used 5” x 7” double thick mat boards and covered with Holly Jolly Echo Park designer paper and a bit of Early Espresso card stock.  For the binding I used a 1” brown O-wire.

To decorate the front of the book I used a couple of Tag Treat die cuts that I picked up from the TE store (I usually add a couple packages of these tags every time I order).  I stitched a bit of designer paper to each of them and then added jumbo eyelets, ribbon and Doodlebug Christmas twine.  Next I stamped one of the frame images from Take Note – Holidays set on white cardstock and die cut with the matching die.  I added Platinum Liquid Pearls along the edges and then added a sentiment (stamped on a separate piece of white card stock).

For each of the pages I created a pocked from Kraft cardstock.  I cut a 6 3/4” tall by 9 1/2” wide piece of Kraft card stock and folded in half.  I then cut a triangle from the top to create a slanted pocket opening.  I added some designer paper to the back of the pocket so that it would peek through for a neat look.  To assemble the pocket (and for extra sturdiness) I stitched along the outside edges.  

To finish I stamped another frame on white cardstock and embellished it with Liquid Pearls, chocolate stitched ribbon and a label.  For the first pocket I create a label using the You’re My Type – Lower stamp set.  For the rest of the pockets I used the Keeping Tabs stamp set.

So Pocket 1 is for Tags: Hmm… I plan to put some simple gift labels in here.  I have some sticky backed paper that will be perfect for making those.  My normal tags are a built to bulky to fit in this pocket. Yeah, I tried.  :D

Pockets 2 and 3 for Receipts and Gift Cards.

Pockets 4 and 5 for Coupons and Gifts (as I come up with gift ideas I’ll add the lists to this pocket).

Pocket 6 is for Recipes: I love baking Christmas cookies and plan on using this to hold any new recipes that I find!  Nom nom nom… ;)

So you can see the pockets  in action here is a picture of one of the pockets with a tag peeking out of it.  Hee… and that tag is a sneaky peek of the project I will be sharing tomorrow – a set of tags that match the planner.

I thought I would share a picture of another planner that I made last year with this set (and the coordinating Keeping Tabs stamp set).  You can find all the details on this project HERE.

Are you getting in the mood to stamp? Be sure to check out Taylor's 12 Days of A Handmade Christmas Video Series for lots of easy gift ideas. I especially love this favor box video… I had an ah-ha moment after watching this video last year and had to add Tiny Twinkles and Embellie Gellie to my next order.

Now, who loves a SALE ? Use Coupon Code HOOPLA2011 to get 25% off the following holiday stamp sets (released in 2009 and 2010) at Taylored Expressions now through November 2:

Christmas Blessings, Enjoy!, From the Heart, Hangin' Out - At the North Pole, Holiday Wonder, Home Sweet Home, Keeping Tabs, Merry Little Cocktail, Penguin Pals, Season's Sweetings, Sparkle & Cheer, Tag Treats , Tag You're It, Take Note - Holidays , Wings of Joy, Winter Wonderland.

The coupon code is case sensitive. Follow these instructions to apply the discount to your order:

1. Add the desired stamp sets from the above list to your shopping cart.
2. Insert the coupon code into the Promotional Code box.
3. Click the Update Cart button. Your discount should now be applied.
4. Proceed to checkout to finalize and submit your order.

I hope you have enjoyed my planner!  For another fabulous Holiday project visit the talented Nancy McKinney! 

Recipe:
Stamps: Take Note – Holidays, Keeping Tabs, You’re My Type – Lower (TE).
Paper: Kraft, Early Espresso (SU!), Choice Snow White (TE), Holly Jolly Christmas designer (Echo Park).
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Deep Lagoon, Warm Red, Berrylicious and Warm Green Fluid Chalk Ink (ColorBox).
Accessories: Tag Treat die cuts (TE), ribbon, jumbo eyelets, foam dimensional tape, Platinum Liquid Pearls (Ranger), Christmas Doodle Twine (Doodlebug), edger punch (EK Success), Take Note Die 3 (TE),

Take Note - Holidays (TE)	Keeping Tabs (TE)	You're My Type - Lower (TE)	Take Note Die 3 (TE)	Holly Jolly Christmas (Echo Park)
Tag Treats die cuts (TE)	Platinum Liquid Pearls (Ranger)	Christmas Doodle Twine (Doodlebug)	Choice Snow White (TE)

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RCC26: Boo!

This week, around the globe, people are celebrating Halloween! A favorite, hauntingly delightful holiday, Halloween inspires lots of different images! Ashley is challenging us to make anything that is inspired by Halloween for this week’s Ribbon Carousel Challenge (RCC26). It could be a costume, card, decoration.  Just make sure to include some ribbon, twine or other item that can be spooled. ;)

 

This week the challenge is being sponsored by EAD Designs and one randomly selected challenge participant will receive a prize package of goodies.

For my sample this week I used another new stamp I added to my Halloween collection: Franken Josh from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps.  He is perfectly fun and a great image to use for a more masculine card (and it doesn’t hurt that it looks like he is doing the Monster Mash!). :)

For my ribbon treatment I added a little flag from Purple Cotton Twill ribbon To top it off I added an orange button and tied celery stitched ribbon through the holes.  Nicey nice!

For all of the details on the challenge and to see more fabulous samples head over to the Ribbon Carousel Challenge Blog!

Recipe:
Stamps: Franken Josh (Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps).
Paper: Naturals White, Basic Black, Soft Sky (SU!), Choice Snow White (TE), designer (Doodlebug).
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Silver Copic spica pen.
Accessories: ribbons (May Arts), button, black and purple rhinestones (Doodlebug), foam dimensional tape, Spooky Impressions Plate (TE).

Franken Josh (Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps)

Too Cute to Spook (Bella Blvd)

Purple Striped Cotton Twill (May Arts)

Celery Center Stitched (May Arts)

Spooky Impression Plate (TE)

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