You can color me happy -- I was ecstatic when I learned Taylored Expressions would be carrying some unique calendar products this year! Any of you who are regular readers here at my blog know how much I love my monthly calendars!
My project today showcases the Frame Your Imagination vertical wood stand and coordinating 6x6 calendar inserts. The calendar inserts and Frame Your Imagination stands were designed to be used with the Calendar Cuppie stamps but the possibilities are only limited by your imagination! There is also a perpetual birthday calendar option (links to those projects are shown at the bottom of this post).
The wood frame is beautifully crafted, very sturdy, sanded smooth, and left to be finished with a coat of paint or paper in the color of your choice. This stand will be for my young girls, so I started with a coat of pink paint and then used papers from the new Valentine Key Ingredients kit to cover it, using ModPodge.
There are many different patterns on the double-sided papers in the Valentine kit to choose from -- I chose some of the more generic ones with many colors that I thought would work well throughout the year . . . large dots, stripes on the front of the two vertical pieces, and a word pattern on the sides.
The pink paint I had on hand was a little too bright for me, so I whitewashed it a little with white acrylic paint. I like the distressed look it gave:
The 2009 dated 6x6 calendar inserts are blank, ready to be decorated however you wish. Taylored Expressions is also offering a set of 6x6 page protectors to frame your creation (the binder rings they hang from are included with the wood stand).
The inserts can be stamped directly on and are compatible with your Copic markers but in this case, I decided to cut out this sweet December Cuppie into the shape of a stocking! When I was stamping him, I noticed the shape of the already-die-cut cling mount stamp looked similar to a stocking:
I hand drew the stocking toe, colored this sweet Christmas scene from A Year of Sweets 3 with Copic markers, and gave the top of the stocking a knitted/ribbed look with my Copics. The stocking is "hanging" from a red brad. I used the Starfire glitter that is included with the Valentine Key Ingredients kit on Cuppie's cherry, the fire in the fireplace, and as a pink sugar topping on one of the cookies -- you may be able to see it better if you click on the photo for a larger view:
The Copic markers I found in my collection to match best with the papers in the Valentine Key Ingredients kit are shown below.
I hope you'll check out the other Taylored Expressions Baker's Dozen Design Team to see their sneak peeks today and of course Taylor's Blog . . .
The following Design Team members are showcasing the perpetual birthday calendar:
Jami Sibley
Jen del Muro
Denise Marzec
Laurie Schmidlin
Carol Halvorson
Monika Davis
These Design Team members are showcasing the Frame Your Imagination vertical stand and coordinating calendar inserts:
Charmaine Ikach
Sharon Harnist
Ana Wohlfahrt
Donna Baker
Terri Dodd
Stephanie Hargis
I'll be back tomorrow with another new release Taylored Expressions stamp set to feature and then remember, the release date for these stamps is Friday, January 2 at 12am EST, when I'll have yet another project to show you!
Happy New Year's Eve!
