Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek-Day 1

Today is the first day of sneak peeks for Taylored Expressions' holiday stamp release (available October 3)!  Today the Baker's Dozen Designers are showing you samples with Christmas Blessings.  It is the second set in Taylored Expressions' Lasting Impressions line of stamps, which are faith-based ... that warms my heart!  (You can see the first stamp set in this line, Faith & Hope, here -- it's a beautiful collection of sentiments). 

There are two large (approximately 3.25" x 2.50") solid silhouette blocks in this set and I have samples for you today using them both.  I want to point out how beautifully these solid, deeply-etched pink rubber images stamp out -- nice and clean the first time, both with Memento and StazOn inks!  On to my projects ...

My card uses the Wise Men traveling on camelback.  I stamped the image with Timber Brown StazOn on glossy white cardstock and then used a sponge dauber to add the red sunset effect with Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink.  The edges of the image were trimmed with deckle scissors and sponged with Memento Rich Cocoa ink.  Then I layered the image onto TE Choice Buttercream cardstock.

The gorgeous background patterned paper is from SEI's new elegant Christmas Mint collection.  These papers are all embossed, flocked, or highlighted with shimmery foil and will be available for purchase at Taylored Expressions on October 3rd!  I distressed the edges of the 5-inch piece and then machine stitched it to the 5.25" card base of Prism Blush Red Dark cardstock.  I wanted to note that I used a darker red cardstock here, because there will also be a Christmas Mint Cardstock Pack available for purchase that coordinates with the Christmas Mint collection and a brighter, truer "Chrsitmas red" cardstock will be in that pack that matches the red snowflakes in this paper perfectly.  I just chose the darker red for my card because it coordinated better with the red ink I used on the stamp image.

I used dye-based markers to ink directly on the sentiment stamp, highlighting the star and "Him" in red.  The sentiment was die cut and is accented with a red snowflake die cut from more Prism Blush Red Dark cardstock.

My next project is a manger tree ornament and you'll never guess how it started out ... as a "paint your own bird feeder" boxed project from the Target Dollar Spot!  Good news is that I just picked it up last week, so you may still be able to find them there! 

I was thrilled it turned out to be the perfect size (3.75" tall x almost 3.50" wide) for this beautiful Bethlehem manger scene stamp!  It started as white bisque and I painted it with my own espresso metallic acrylic paint.

After stamping the manger scene with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto TE Choice Buttercream cardstock, I airbrushed the sky with Copic B32 & B37 and trimmed the image to fit inside the three dimensional ornament.  

The scene is accented with a Zva Crystal on the Bethlehem star. 

I used the chipboard snowflake (a sneak peek of what's coming tomorrow!) as another star-type accent for the baby Jesus.  I pressed it into a white pigment ink pad and then heat embossed it with sparkly embossing powder.

I hope you can see the great dimension this ornament has ... here's another photo below:

I also hope you'll check in on the rest of the Baker's Dozen Designers, to see the samples they have for you today, too!  Charmaine Ikach, Denise Marzec, Donna Baker, Jackie Pedro, Jodi Collins, Karen Giron, Karen Motz, Laurie Schmidlin, Sankari Wegman and of course, Taylor.  Our sweet Canadians', Dawn Easton and Laura Fredrickson, packages have been held up but hopefully they'll have some goodies to share sometime in the next few days.  So pinch hitting for them is sweet Jami Sibley!  We'll all be back tomorrow with another sneak peek!

Wise Men Card --
Stamps: Taylored Expressions Christmas Blessings
Paper: SEI Christmas Mint Collection, Prism Blush Red Dark, TE Choice Buttercream
Ink: Timber Brown StazOn, Memento Rhubarb Stalk & Rich Cocoa, dye-based markers
Accessories: Spellbinders Petite Classic Oval Nestabilities & Snowflake Wonder dies, deckle scissors, Tim Holtz Paper Distresser by Tonic, foam tape, sewing machine

Bethlehem Ornament --
Stamps: Taylored Expressions Christmas Blessings
Paper:TE Choice Buttercream
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Copic markers B32 & B97, white pigment ink pad
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, Zva Clear Crystal, chipboard snowflake from TE Christmas Key Ingredients Kit, sparkle embossing powder, DecoArt Rich Espresso Elegant Finish metallic paint, ivory silk ribbon, Target Dollar Spot Paint Your Own Bird Feeder Kit